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On April 11, I hosted a roundtable discussion with our local nonprofits on the impacts of proposed federal budget cuts. The White House’s initial budget proposal for FY18 includes significant cuts or elimination of several federal agencies and programs that will impact our local nonprofits. These cuts may hamper their ability to provide essential services in Leon County.

Nonprofits in Leon County represent a substantial part of our local economy. A recent report from the Institute for Nonprofit Innovation and Excellence shows that nonprofits represent 21 percent of our GDP, employ 1 in 10 workers, and receive $3.1 billion annually – of which $33 million comes from federal grants.

This revenue enables local and state agencies to help people find stable homes, escape abusive relationships, access health care, and learn to manage finances, family and education. While some people need permanent support to address long-term issues, most only need temporary assistance to help them become self-sufficient.

A community that provides access to basic needs such as housing, health care, education and food will have a stronger economy and citizens who participate and give back. Businesses thrive when we have a healthy, educated and safe workforce. This is essential if we want to attract and retain talent, increase investment, and ensure stable economic development that creates jobs and elevates our quality of life. I am confident these are issues important to most people, regardless of political position.

For those who say we need greater efficiency and accountability, I agree. However, it’s important to remember that post-recession, nonprofits, like other businesses, have been doing more with less and have found innovative ways to collaborate. In a national survey, 51 percent of nonprofits report they collaborate with other agencies, while in the Big Bend region, 94 percent of our agencies collaborate with each other.

These efforts have enabled our nonprofits to help more people become self-sufficient. If we lose federal assistance for health, housing, etc. our local governments – which means all of us – will be forced to pay in other ways. We would likely see an increase in crime and other issues that negatively affect our businesses and quality of life. This could reduce funding for roads, parks and other services.

But what can we do? At the roundtable, we discussed how we can tell our success stories and encourage Congress and the president to enhance these programs rather than making drastic cuts that will negatively impact our community.

One example is the Housing First model for addressing homelessness. Previously we required our homeless neighbors to meet benchmarks for work, etc., before they qualified for housing assistance. But it’s not easy to prepare for an interview if you’re sleeping in your car. The Housing First model maintains the same requirements, but recognizes that people will become self-sufficient faster if they have a safe place to live while they look for a job, enroll in school and care for their children.

We have worked hard, invested in ourselves and recognize there is still much to do. We should focus on improving programs, efficiency, accountability and success.

We need everyone – volunteers, supporters, businesses and clients – to tell Congress and the president about our success stories. Reach out to members of Congress, attend their town hall meetings, and encourage them to support federal funding for these critical programs.

We can do our part to prevent these drastic cuts and continue the progress we have made in recent years.

Commissioner Kristin Dozier has served the citizens of Leon County and District 5 since 2010. Contact her at DozierK@LeonCountyFL.gov.